The "Original Crown"

This week, we met with Powell sales associate Daniel Sharp to talk about crowns.  In his travels to flute fairs, he has been asked if Powell still makes the "original crown" or "old crown." So, what exactly is the design of the "original" or "old" crown? We discovered it was quite different than many flutists may be picturing...

Daniel shared that Verne Q. Powell modeled his earliest flute crowns after the Louis Lot crown.  In the photo below, we see the crown from Louis Lot #6412, made in 1898:

Photo courtesy of National Music Museum.

Taking a look at Powell #4, we can see the similarity:

However, many flutists are familiar with a style of Powell crowns with two knurled rings, as shown in the photo below with Toshiko Kohno, former principal flutist of the National Symphony Orchestra.  Her flute was made in 1969.

Although we do not have an exact date for when Powell began using this two-ringed design, we can tell that the design dates at least as far back as 1938.  In the photo below on the far left, we see a headjoint from 1938 with a lip plate engraved by Verne Q. Powell.  To the right of this headjoint are two recently made Powell Signature headjoints.  This two-ringed design is currently used on all Powell Signature headjoint crowns.  It is the design that most people are familiar with and consider to be the "original" or "old" crown.

However, in the photo below, we see a Powell silver crown that is currently made for Powell Custom headjoints.

The final photo below shows the current silver Custom crown next to a current Signature crown (on the headjoint).  You'll notice the difference in the two crowns.  The current silver Custom crown resembles the earliest Powell crowns, and the Signature crown resembles the crown with two rings that many people recognize and consider to be the original design.  So, the answer is clearly, "yes!"  We still make the "original" style crown...

From the Beginning -- the Earliest Powell Flutes

Flutists have many choices when it comes to Powell flutes today, but what about the very first Powell flutes?  If you have wondered what options were and models were available, we went into the archive to find out...

Looking through historical documents, we found a brochure from 1930.  At the time, Powell offered two models of C flutes with the following specs:

1 - the Handmade Louis Lot pattern with thin wall tubing, soldered tone holes, open or closed key cups, and open or closed G#
2 - the Commercial model with 0.18" heavy wall tubing, drawn tone holes, open or closed key cups, and open or closed G#

Handmade models came in silver, 14k gold, and platinum and had options that could be added as requested, such as French pointed arms and a left hand low B lever.  In the 1930s, the gizmo key was developed by Powell and added as an option as well.  From the beginning, all Powell flutes were pitched at A-440 unless ordered otherwise.  During the time period from 1930 to 1941, flutes pitched at A-442 were produced for leading players, including Bladet, Madsen, Pappoutsakis, and Opava.  In addition to the standard models, Powell did produce a few unique items in 1929: a bamboo flute, an octave piccolo, and a piccolo with a low C.

So, how much would one of the very first Powell flutes cost?  Well, in 1930, the Handmade silver models were $250 for the "French model" (open keys) and $240 for the "American model" (closed keys).The Commercial models were $200 for the French model and $185 for the American model.  In the photo below, you will see a price listing from the 1930 Powell brochure.

"What's the Powell Flute?"

Verne Powell

Continuing on from the excerpt we posted last week of Les Waddington's 1984 interview with Edward Powell (Verne Powell's son), we learn a bit more as Edward recounts the reaction to Powell flutes in the earliest days of the company:

Les Waddington: Well, we continue our discussion, and Ed, you were about to carry on from the point where your father had pulled away (from the Haynes company) and had set up a plant.  I need to know some dates...

Edward Powell:  Well,  I think I mentioned earlier, it was 1926, when I took off for Lido, Venice, with the Harvard dance band.  He was making the change then, and having a rather hard time of it.  Then, upon my return and during the next couple of years, I was busy.  I had to keep playing to earn money, and finishing some school, and taking a course at MIT.  I wanted to catch up on some electrical engineering mathematics.  But, this period, over the crash, you know between '27, 28, '29, and up to 1935, during that period, he had a struggle.  He was having a hard time, and what flutes he made were mostly, well, in this period, he got to the Boston Symphony with his flute and satisfied Laurent from France, that he had something that was as similar to, or equivalent to, or equal to, or satisfactory as the (Louis) Lot flute.  So, this was my dad's whole aim -- to carry on the Louis Lot tradition, and not only tonally, but also aesthetically.  He turned out a lovely looking instrument and knew how to handle the precious metals, polish, and the keywork, and patterns, and this sort of thing.  And so by 1935, he was well grooved in his designs, patterns, and little production, and had moved out to Huntington Avenue -- opposite the New England Conservatory.  At that time, the people working for him were, well, when he left the Haynes company, a couple of the leading men from Haynes moved in with him, especially John Schwelm who was an excellent flutemaker and mechanic, and Hans Haugaard, who was a plodding padder, and I mean plodding.  He could not pad one flute in a whole day, where my dad could do two a day.  But the importance of it was such, and Hans was such a devoted person that the team worked, and they were beginning to produce flutes.  In the meantime, we engaged a young guy out of mechanical school, Northeastern, or something, Austin Nickerson, who was a good shop man.  He could handle the lathes and tools, and punch press, and things.

Verne's Bench

That's about the time that I took off for New York, following the burgeoning of the radio network business, and I was fortunate in the sense that I was in the right place at the right time, and I moved into New York, April, 1935.  And within six months, I had 5 substitutes working for me, there was so much work.  But my principal achievements or recognition lay in my being part of the Kostelanetz, the CBS Symphony Orchestra, and of the, well, numerous radio programs at that time, when freelance and radio was the big thing, just coming into its own.  I won't bother with naming those things, but the point is that I moved ahead so fast that it was almost dizzying to meet that much success in such a short time, but the point is that the Powell flute was relatively unknown in New York.  And in the meantime, old man Haynes had set up an office, a little extension of his showroom, right next to Radio City, and he was attracting all the flute players, and at that time of course, doublers were numerous.  Now, I immediately ran into people who would say, "What's the Powell flute?  Never heard of it."  But in a very short time, they were coming to me because I had, let's say, come out of the ranks of the George Laurent school of flute playing, the Paris Conservatory method let's say.  And it was catching on.  People liked it.  I was getting all the playing offers I could handle.  And other flute players were coming to me about advice for flutes, which I passed right on to my dad.  And his big spurt in production and success began from the moment I went to New York.  And I don't like to say that in a bragging sense, but time wise, it just happened that way.  So, I gave great boost to my father's business and success, and reputation, while in New York, and daily, spending hours next to, sitting with, playing with Julie Baker and John Wummer, and Arthur Lora.  I played with all these people.  And it gets around fast, you know, that, well, it's time to switch to a Powell flute.  So, this was a booming thing from 1935. 

Huntington St. Building.  Vern Powell's original shop was on the second floor in the corner office.